Electric lamp socket and plug connector



Feb. 28, 1939. K, PERKINS ELECTRIC LAMP SOCKET AND PLUG CONNECTOR FiledOct. ".50, 1956 7* I III I I I z I -v ll L! Kenneih Perkins Witness wmm.40 spring contact member 5.

Patented Feb. 28, 1939 ELECTRIC LAMP SOCKET AND PLUG CONNECTOR KennethPerkins, Elizabeth, N. J., assignor to The Singer Manufacturing Company,Elizabeth, N. 1., a corporation of New Jersey Application October 30,1936, Serial No. 108,358

BClalms.

The user of a sewing machine having an electric lamp mounted thereon isoccasionally desirous of using the lamp as a portable or trouble lamp toassist in finding articles dropped upon the floor and for otherpurposes.

An object of the invention is to provide an electric lamp-socket of thenon-metallic shell type which is of simplified construction and theparts of which may be readily manufactured and assembled at low cost.

With the above and other objects in view, as will hereinafter appear,the invention comprises the devices, combinations, and arrangements ofparts hereinafter set forth and illustrated in the accompanying drawingof a preferred embodiment ofthe invention, from which the severalfeatures of the invention and the advantages attained thereby will bereadily understood by those skilled in the art.

I In the accompanying drawing, Fig. 1 is a longitudinal axial section ina vertical plane of an electric lamp-socket embodying the invention.Fig. 2 is a longitudinal axial section of the lampsocket in a horizontalplane. Fig. 3 is an inner end-view of the part of the lamp-socket whichcarries the movable contact element of the switch. Fig. 4 is an innerend view of the mating part of the lamp-socket which carries thestationary contact elements of the switch. Fig. 5 is a section of theswitch operating mechanism.

The lamp-socket preferably comprises telescoping parts A and B. The partA, which is essentially a shell preferably molded of Bakelite, has acylindrical socket l for reception of the as conventional lamp-base 2.The usualspring-pin inserts 3, 3, are provided to conduct the electriccurrent to the lamp-base contacts. Connected to one of the spring-pininserts 3, by means of the screw 4, Fig. 4, is a current lead-in leaf-Connected to the other spring-pin contact 3, by means of the screw 6, isthe stationary switch-contact l. A second stationary switch-contact 8,spaced from and parallel to the stationary switch-contact l, is se- 5cured by thev screw 9 to the body 01 the part A and terminates at itsother end in a current leadin leaf-spring contact It.

The part B, which telescopes with the shell part 50 A, is alsopreferably molded of Bakelite and comprises a cylindrical body havingthe diametrically opposed plug-connector pin inserts molded therein.When the part B is secured to and in telescoping relation with the partA, the

55 pins engage and conduct the electric current through the body B tothe current lead-in contacts 5 and I0 carried by the part A.

Secured by the screw l2 to the seat l3 on the part B is the lip l4 of aUshaped yoke [5 the spaced side members of which are received in the 5diametrical slot I5 in the part B and carry the fulcrum support pin l6for the finger-lever The notched inner end of the finger lever I1 isengaged by the head l8 of a guide-pin l9 which is slidably received atits other end in an aper- 10 ture 20 in the U-shaped movableswitch-contact member 2|, the legs of which are struck-out to formtrunnion portions 22, 22, Fig. 5, pivctally received in coaxialapertures in the side plates of the U-shaped support l5. The compression15 spring 23 surrounding the guide-pin |9 between the head l8 and thebridging member of the movable contact 2|, completes the toggle-deviceby which the movable contact member 2| is actuated to carry it into andout of bridging con- 20 tact relation with the stationary contacts 1 and8; the construction being similar to that disclosed in U. S. Patent toPerkins, No. 1,853,365, of April 5, 1932. It will be observed that theplug-connector pins H are insulated from the movable 25 elements of theswitch-mechanism which are carried by the part B.

The part B is preferably formed in its head end with a cylindricalplug-receiving cavity 2% which houses the projecting split-ends of thegoconnector pins II and telescopically receives the cylindrical plug 24of molded Bakelite carrying the metal female connector inserts 25 whichreceive the connector pins II and carry terminal screws 26 for bindingthe conductor wires 21? thereto. The plug body 24 is formed with aprojection 28 which presses the conductors 2? against the roughenedinner surfaces 29 of the cap 30 secured to the body 24 by thescrews 3|,thereby relieving the binding screw-connections 26 of strain.

Having thus set forth the nature of the invention what I claim hereinis: a

1. An electric lamp-socket comprising a cylindrical body-member ofinsulating material, a pair of current-supply conductor pins carried byand passing through said body-member parallel to the longitudinal axisof the latter, a toggleswitch mechanism mounted on said body-memberbetween and insulated from said current supply pins and including amovable bridging contact switch-member, a second body-membertelescopically receiving said first mentioned body-member and formedwith a lamp-base-receiving cavity, counter-contacts mounted in said usecond body-member in position to be engaged by said current supply pinswhen said bodymembers are in assembled relation, and a pair 01' spacedstationary switch-contacts mounted in said second mentioned body-memberin position to be engagedby said bridging contact switchmember.

2. An electric lamp-socket having a cylindrical body-member ofinsulating material, a pair of current conductor pin inserts extendinglongitudinally through said body-member, a toggle switch mechanismmounted on said body-member between said pins and insulated therefrom, a

cylindrical shell'member of insulating material telescopically receivingsaid body-member and having a lamp-base-receiving cavity, stationarycontacts carried by said shell in cooperative relation with said toggleswitch mechanism, countercontact carried by said shell and engaged bysaid pin inserts, and lamp-base-engaging contacts carried'by said shelland connected in circuit with said stationary and counter-contacts.

3. An electric lamp-socket comprising a cylindrical body-member ofinsulating material, a pair of current-supply conductor pins carried byand passing through said body-member parallel to the longitudinal axisof the latter, a switch mechanism mounted on said body-member betweenand insulated from said current-supply pins and including a movablebridging contact switchmember, a second body-member telescopically re--ceiving said first mentioned body-member and material formed at one endwith a lamp-base-receiving cavity, a pair of lamp-base-engaging contactsin said cavity, a pair of spaced stationary switch-contacts and a pairof stationary currentreceiving contacts mounted in said shell member andconnected in series relation with said lampbase-engaging contacts, acomplemental molded body-member telescopically received by said shellbody-member, current-conductors carried by said complemental body-memberand engaging the current-receiving contacts in said shell bodymember,and a movable switch contact-member mounted on said complementalbody-member in insulated relation with said current-conductors andadapted to bridge saidstationary switch contacts.

5. An electric lamp-socket comprising, a cylindrical body-member ofinsulating material having a cylindricalplug-receiving cavity at one endand a'diametrical slot at its other end, a pair of parallel conductorpins passing longitudinally through said body-member at opposite sidesof said slot and projecting into said cylindrical cavity, a switchmechanism including a movable switch-contact mounted in said slot ininsulated relation with said conductor pins, a cylindrical shell-membertelescopically receiving the diametrically slotted end of saidbody-member, stationary switch contacts mounted in said shellmember inposition to be engaged by said movable switch-contact, counter-contactsin said shellmember engaged by said conductor pins, lampcontaots carriedby said shell-member and connected in series relation with saidswitchand counter-contacts, and a line-connector plug in saidplug-receiving cavity.

6. An electric lamp-socket comprising two separable telescopicallyinterfltting body-members of insulating material, lamp -base-engagingcontacts and switch-contacts mounted on one of said body-members, amovable switch-mechanism mounted on the other of said body-membersin-cooperative relation with said switch-con tacts, a pair ofplug-connector contact elements mounted on said last-mentionedbody-member in insulated relation with said movable switchmechanism,contacts on said first mentioned body-member engaged by saidplug-connector contact elements, the plug-connector elements, thecontacts engaged thereby, the switch contacts and lamp-base-engagingcontacts being connected in series circuit relation, and a plugconnectormember having current-supply terminals qulck-detachably engaging saidplug-connector contact elements.

KENNETH PERKINS.

